IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational, Highland, IN
More night two, and yet MORE non-tournament action! This is also non-title, despite Martinez winning the IWA Mid-South/NWA Midwest women’s title from Lacey the night before.
The entrances go by as entrances do, but we get a highlight here with CM Punk in an impromptu hoedown with Mickie Knuckles to Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman.”
Sal Rinauro is on commentary and thinks it’s “fantastic” that IWA is opening up a larger women’s division, and also notes that he would enjoy to have sex with all of the women.
This is tag and elimination rules, not a scramble. We start with a tepid Rain/Lacey matchup, then move to a more spirited Daizee/MsChif matchup, two pairings that have tons of experience together. Haze and MsChif do the long rollaround thing where they’re ostensibly trying to get a pin but aren’t, really.
The first good bit is Mercedes and Mickie. Knuckles is offered a handshake, as they’re both fan favorites, but Mickie is a real redneck woman about it so they trade hard strikes. Mickie gets the better of that, then turns to MsChif on the apron. When Mickie wanted a tag, MsChif gave her one but also bit her on the arm, so Mickie gets revenge with a patented Ian Rotten-taught headbutt, which also serves as a legal tag.
Rain was an odd wrestler in that she was very competent but (at this time, I’m not saying after) she had this way of working without any emotion on her face. So when she does deliver cool moves and shit, there’s no visual oomph to them, it’s like when you choose your moveset creating a CAW.
There is, being honest, a lot of not-so-great offense in here, including a double team Tomakaze from Rain and Lacey to Mercedes that was probably better in the planning stages. Some of those little steps of hesitation going into moves, etc. These were all young wrestlers still, the smoothness wasn’t always there.
First elimination is sick, though, as Martinez hits a second rope fisherman buster on Rain to send her packing. Seconds later, Martinez sends Knuckles out with a wicked Saito suplex. Then just after that, Lacey eliminates Haze with an implant DDT. Then seconds after THAT, Mercedes pins Lacey with a German suplex with a bridge. So we come down to Mercedes and MsChif. MsChif eliminates Martinez with the Desecrator to win the match. Mercedes did get a shoulder up somewhere between 2.997 and 3.003 in the count, on some Hogan at WrestleMania VI shit. MsChif tries to leave with the belt, as she’s pinned the champ, but again, it was non-title. So she reluctantly returns it, making clear she’s coming for it later.
The match is, y’know, mostly fine. Some really good moments, some not very good moments, and mostly just a showcase like the (mostly) Chikara trios match had been a couple matches earlier. Neither were really needed on this show, but they got all those wrestlers some screen time on one of the biggest indie shows of the year, and that meant a lot more than just the couple hundred of us in attendance, because this show was a major mover on the tape market for a long time. They do little bits and then fly into the eliminations. It’s what it is.
Tape Machines Are Rolling 
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